As people of faith, it is imperative that we be wary of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act that the Senate is debating and theHouse has passed. On the face of it, the bill’s goal is to ensure that onlyU.S. citizens vote in federal elections, but we know that this goes far beyondthat. By requiring every American—including currently registered voters—togo in-person to an election office with proper documentation (U.S. passport orpassport card, certified birth certificate and photo ID, naturalizationcertificate, or a Consular Report of Birth Abroad, and possibly additionalpaperwork if your name does not match on all documents).
The numbers of Americans that this bill would more harshlyaffect is staggering and actually straddles the lines between conservative andprogressive politics.
· Married women. An estimated 69 million American women do not have a birthcertificate that matches their current legal name. Under this bill, they wouldneed to present both a birth certificate and a marriage certificate toestablish their identity.
· Rural Americans. In the 30 largestcounties by area in the Western United States, voters would need to drive anaverage of 260 miles to reach an election office. One analysis found ruralvoters facing a 4.5-hour round trip on average.
· Young and first-time voters. About24% of Americans under 30 do not have ready access to qualifying documents.
· Low-income Americans. They aresimply the least likely to have a passport or the flexibility to visit anelection office during business hours.
· People of color. Nearly half ofBlack Americans under 30 do not have ID with their current name and address.Many older Black Americans, born during the pre-civil rights era, were neverissued a birth certificate at all.
· Military members and Americans abroad. The U.S. Vote Foundation has documented that the bill'sin-person requirement would create significant barriers for service membersstationed overseas and American citizens living abroad.
· Transgender Americans. Before thisbill, an estimated 210,800 transgender Americans in states with existingvoter ID laws already lacked IDs correctly reflecting their name or gender. TheSAVE Act adds another documentation layer on top of barriers that alreadyexist.
As people of faith, we far too often refuse to discuss whatwe broadly define as Politics. However, Jesus talked about politics inthe sense that politics is the way groups of people make decisions, sharepower, and manage resources in a society. It includes government actions,competing for power, and personal views on how a community should be run. Butwe are called to ensure that everyone’s voice is heard and heard fairly.
As Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, the President &General Secretary of the National Council of Churches has stated, “The right tovote still matters. It is imperative that Christians use their God-given voiceto call out voter suppression and stop legislation that hinders the rights ofothers.”
It is crucialthat we all pay attention to this matter! We all must be prepared tore-register if this is passed, but we can also actively speak out against theSAVE Act now!
How to prepare:
· Check your registration. UseVote.org's Check Your Registration Tool to confirm yourregistration status today.
· Help people get their documents. Passports,birth certificates, and Real IDs are the documents this bill would require.Helping people in your community secure them now protects their ability to voteno matter what happens next.
· Contactyour senators. The Senate is debating this right now. Find yoursenators at senate.gov. Use these forms to send your message: https://www.lwv.org/save-act or https://secure.brennancenter.org/secure/tell-congress-reject-save-act-1
· Stayinformed.
Vote.org is a nonpartisan nonprofit dedicated to voterregistration and access for all eligible Americans. We do not endorsecandidates or political parties. https://www.vote.org/save-act/
